Modern Marketer Capabilities in a Digital, Data and GenAI Era

Understanding the requirements of modern marketer capabilities, resources and relationships has never been more important. As marketing continues its rapid shift from linear, campaign-led activity to always-on, digital-first engagement, the role of the marketer has fundamentally expanded.

Today’s marketers are expected to balance brand building with performance marketing, manage complex digital ecosystems, interpret vast volumes of data and increasingly understand how artificial intelligence and generative AI can accelerate content, insight and decision-making. The question is no longer what marketers should do but how they are equipped to do it.

The promise and pressure of modern marketing

On paper, this should be a golden age for marketing. Technology has made customers easier to reach, data more abundant and measurement more precise. Research consistently shows that CEOs increasingly look to marketing as a primary driver of growth.

Yet the lived reality is often very different. More channels, platforms and tools have not necessarily delivered greater clarity. Instead, fragmentation has increased, with marketers acting as orchestrators across media, content, data, technology and partners, often without the skills, structures or support to match.

The shift from linear media to digital has replaced periodic campaigns with continuous optimisation. The rise of retail media, social commerce and creator platforms has further blurred the lines between media, content and production. Add GenAI into the mix, and the complexity only increases.

This is the moment to focus on the capabilities required to succeed.

Do we have the right marketer capabilities?

Modern marketers need to be confident generalists with strong strategic foundations, supported by specialist expertise. While agencies and consultants provide deep capability, in-house teams must still understand enough to lead, challenge and integrate effectively.

Enhancing core skillsets

A critical audit of current capabilities is an essential starting point. Key questions include:

• Strategic thinking: How effectively are we using data, insight and market signals to adapt strategy in real time?
• Creative leadership: Can we consistently deliver high-quality, platform-appropriate creative at scale, supported by content planning and GenAI tools?
• Activation and optimisation: Are we agile in execution across digital channels, and do we understand how media, content and experience connect?
• Measurement and learning: Can we triangulate data from media platforms, CRM, analytics and AI models to demonstrate impact and inform decisions?

Developing new skills

The rise of AI has accelerated the need for continuous learning. Marketers do not need to become data scientists or prompt engineers, but they do need enough fluency to use GenAI responsibly, interpret outputs critically and apply insights commercially.

Online learning, experimentation and cross-functional exposure are now as important as formal training programs.

Are we using our resources effectively?

Marketing organisation design

Traditional marketing structures often struggle to keep pace with digital demands. Agile, cross-functional teams – combining strategy, content, data and performance -are increasingly essential. Organisations that can reallocate resources quickly are better positioned to respond to shifting consumer behaviour.

Agency and partner models

As scopes expand and evolve, clarity is critical. Agencies remain vital partners, but success depends on well-defined scopes of work, clear accountability and regular recalibration. Misalignment between expectation and resource remains a major source of friction.

Marketing technology and data

Despite heavy investment, many organisations underutilise their martech stacks. The challenge is no longer access to tools, but integration, adoption and data quality. Cross-functional collaboration between marketing, IT, agencies and technology partners is essential to unlock value and to decide where simplification is needed.

Are we maximising our relationships?

Internal collaboration

Marketing’s effectiveness depends on strong relationships across finance, technology, sales and operations. Clear communication, shared objectives and mutual understanding are now critical leadership skills for CMOs and marketing leaders.

External partnerships

Client–agency tensions persist, often driven by unclear briefs, shifting priorities and unrealistic expectations. Regular reviews of ways of working, supported by data and transparency, are essential to maintaining productive partnerships, particularly as innovation accelerates.

Conclusion

The modern marketer’s challenge is not a lack of opportunity, but a lack of focus on how marketing gets done. By assessing capabilities, optimising resources and strengthening relationships, marketers can move from overwhelmed orchestrators to confident leaders of growth.

In a world shaped by digital transformation, data and GenAI, taking a rigorous capability health check is no longer optional – it is foundational to future success.